ACTLAB Heads to the 2026 World Food Forum and Rome Water Dialogue

We have some happy news to share. Lorenzo Grasselli, one of the volunteer members of the ACTLAB team, has been approved to represent Action Lab for Development (ACTLAB) at the 2026 World Food Forum and the Rome Water Dialogue. He will be at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome from 12 to 16 October 2026.

Lorenzo’s mission shows what ACTLAB is built on: committed volunteers who give their time and energy to bring the organization’s voice to the places where global decisions are made. Over the past year, ACTLAB has worked to make sure those decisions reflect the people and communities they affect most.

About FAO: working for a world without hunger

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the UN specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO was founded on 16 October 1945, the date now celebrated every year as World Food Day. Its goal is food security for all: that everyone has regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

FAO has 194 members (193 countries plus the European Union) and works in more than 130 countries. Its work is guided by the “four betters” of its Strategic Framework 2022–2031:

Better production: efficient, inclusive and resilient food and agriculture supply chains
Better nutrition: ending hunger and making healthy diets accessible to all
Better environment: protecting and restoring ecosystems and fighting climate change through more sustainable agrifood systems
Better life: reducing inequalities so that rural communities, women and young people are not left behind

These priorities are closely linked to ACTLAB’s own commitment to inclusive, sustainable development.

The 2026 World Food Forum: “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”

The World Food Forum (WFF) was launched in 2021 as an independent network of partners hosted by FAO. It is a global platform for transforming agrifood systems and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, with young people at its centre.

The 2026 WFF flagship event runs from 8 to 16 October 2026 at FAO Headquarters in Rome and online, under the theme “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.” It is built on three pillars:

Global Youth Action: putting young people’s voices and leadership at the heart of food systems transformation
Science and Innovation Forum: advancing research, technology and practical solutions
Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum: mobilizing finance and partnerships for the countries and regions that need them most

The programme includes high-level dialogues, consultations, innovation labs, pitching events, hackathons, exhibitions and cultural showcases. Special sessions include the Global Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems and From Seeds to Foods. The week ends with World Food Day on 16 October.

The Rome Water Dialogue: water at the heart of food security

Agriculture accounts for more than 72 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, so food security and water security are closely connected. The Rome Water Dialogue 2026 takes place as part of the World Food Forum. It is organized by FAO’s Land and Water Division together with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and other UN partners.

The Dialogue promotes Integrated Water Resources Management as a way to strengthen food and water security worldwide, especially as climate change puts growing pressure on water resources. This year’s sessions cover:

Strengthening the governance of water tenure, including a high-level dialogue on water tenure principles
Restoring degraded agricultural land
Drought management and building resilience
Modernizing irrigation and attracting investment
A Youth Assembly session on sustainable water management

The Dialogue brings together ministers, policymakers, researchers, the private sector, farmers’ organizations, NGOs, development banks and young people.

ACTLAB will be in Rome to listen and learn, to connect with partners, and to bring back ideas that can turn into action in the communities we serve.

A year of showing up: ACTLAB on the global stage

The Rome mission builds on a busy year of international engagement. As an organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), ACTLAB has taken part in some of the world’s most important policy conversations. Here are a few highlights:

UN INC-5.3 on Plastic Pollution — Geneva, February 2026

ACTLAB joined the third part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution, convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Negotiators worked toward a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Plastic waste is closely connected to the health of our oceans, soils and food systems, which links it directly to the themes we’ll follow in Rome.

CSW70 — United Nations, New York

At the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, ACTLAB took part in person and added its voice to the call for justice for women and girls. Women produce a large share of the world’s food, yet they often have the least access to land, water and credit. Gender equality is central to food security.

35th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) — Vienna, June 2026

At the Vienna International Centre, ACTLAB took part in the CCPCJ and delivered an official address to the United Nations on advancing inclusive approaches to crime prevention and criminal justice. Our message was that justice systems work best when they include everyone.

High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2026 — New York, July 2026

An ACTLAB delegation spent two intense weeks at UN Headquarters for the HLPF, the main UN platform for following up on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. We followed the discussions from the opening sessions through the Ministerial Segment and shared our reflections from each week here on the blog.

Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2026

At the IGF, we joined discussions on how the internet and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, should be governed so that they serve people and protect rights. We believe the digital future must be inclusive too.

UN Climate Week 4 — Baku

In Baku, the conversation moved from climate promises to climate action. The targets and commitments are in place. The question now is how to deliver them. Climate change already affects harvests, water supplies and livelihoods, and this is the same agenda that the World Food Forum and the Rome Water Dialogue will take up.

One thread connecting it all

Plastics, gender justice, criminal justice, sustainable development, digital rights and climate can look like separate topics. For ACTLAB they are parts of one story: development only works when it is inclusive, evidence-based and grounded in the realities of the people it is meant to serve.

Food and water are where many of these issues meet. That is why we are glad to have Lorenzo in Rome. He will carry ACTLAB’s commitment into one more important global conversation and bring back what he learns for our community.

Thank you

None of this happens without the people behind ACTLAB: our volunteers, delegates, partners and supporters. Thank you for helping us tell the ACTLAB story with care, and for believing that a small organization can make a difference on the world stage.

Stay tuned for live updates from Rome, 12–16 October 2026. 🌍🇺🇳

Want to follow ACTLAB’s journey? Browse all our conference stories on the Conferences page.